Grab a Coldie! book review

A book with pop-out laminated beer coasters is so odd I just had to write about it. (It reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where Kramer comes up with the idea of a coffee table book that also functions as a coffee table itself).

Called Grab a Coldie!, this is a book about 80s Aussie beers – which ones were popular and which ones bit the dust thanks to the heady business mergers and takeovers that saw the beer business change dramatically in that decade.
The information provided on each beer and brewer isn’t exactly encyclopedic – there are just a few paragraphs on each one – but I love the laminated replicas of original 80s beer coasters. Furthermore, when you pop them out you’ll find beer trivia underneath. The photos of 80s advertisements also brings back a few memories.

The book’s written by Michael Bannenberg, who spent over 30 years working in beer advertising. It’s published by The Five Mile Press and is priced at $24.95.

PS Since many of the beers mentioned in the book are no longer with us, I asked Bannenberg which one he misses the most.

“Abbots Lager would be the beer I miss the most,” he said. “It was like Melbourne Bitter – a great beer but under the radar.”

If there are any fallen Aussie beers you miss, then let us know in the comments section.

PS 2 I know it’s lame to take a shot of the book with my cat, but he honestly just wandered into the shot. I promise I’m not one of those pathetic cat owners.